Thrills and chills

Back after a long vacation...

Theme park thrills
Rides that sent chills
Shamu's splashes
Dolphins' dashes
Penguins and seals
In control of fast wheels
Simulated earthquakes
Twister - so not fake
Shark attacks in Jaws
Eaten by dinosaurs
Loony toons
Scary goons
Back to the future
Islands of adventure
Haunted mansion
Magic kingdom
Shrek in 4D
Laughter and screams
Alien encounters
Dangerous roller coasters
Revenge of the Mummy
That feeling in the tummy
Fairy tale parade
Fireworks in the end

Thank you Walt Disney for 4 days of unadulterated fun!

(That was some effort in trying to rhyme! )
Walt Disney's contribution to humankind is magnanimous. Just the fact that his creations can bring a smile to the faces of so many of us irrespective of age, can distract us from our thoughts and worries is an achievement in itself.

On our drive back we were discussing the fact that all these rides, roller coasters and simulations do manage to thrill us but the fact that we know from deep within that we are safe and nothing can happen prevents the completion of the adrenaline gush. So, the question is what kind of an *aritificial* enviroment can actually arouse real fear, the spirit of real adventure like say falling into a lake of crocodiles, unarmed, feeling the movements of their slithery bodies in the water, being able to see the sharp teethed open mouth of the animals at an arm's length knowing that there is nothing that can save you other than yourself or being actually pushed from the top of a tall tower without any seat belt or rope protecting you or pulling you back, where you know that in a few seconds you will land on your face on the ground below, smashed, your bones shattered or maybe enter a deserted haunted house alone without a torch or a weapon, hearing eerie noises whose source you can't trace back, feeling a sudden gush of wind on your neck, where you have to feel the walls to move forward or being in the middle of an 8.3 richter earthquake where you have to run to save yourself being buried under concrete, the walls collapsing an inch behind you, people screaming.
The conclusion derived from the discussion was - induce an artificial nightmare. Hypnotize the adventure-seeker and throw him into those situations in his dreams. There he has no seat belts or weapons or the knowledge that its just a ride and it will end in sometime. He is alone facing his worst fears. That should be a spine chilling!